Just a few years ago, we were learning the ropes at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. Chris, a young entrepreneur, was featured in the Canadian documentary The Corporation as the world’s fi rst corporate-sponsored college student, and he traveled from the East Coast to see his film premiere to an American audience. Efren, a young actor who had long been struggling for his big break, traveled from the West Coast to show off his starring role in the “small” indie film, Napoleon Dynamite. At the festival, we each had remarkable experiences. The Corporation won high acclaim and the World Cinema Documentary Award, and Napoleon Dynamite won a standing ovation and a distribution deal that would launch the fi lm into the hearts of millions of adoring fans across the country.

We both seemed to have won the lottery with the successes
of our fi lms at Sundance. Chris was an entrepreneurial
college kid, and his partnership with First USA to
teach fi nancial responsibility to young people prompted
The Corporation’s producers to feature him in their fi lm. Efren
had been practicing the art of performing for years, yet he
had earned only small, sporadic roles until he turned down
a part in a movie with a $100 million budget for the lead
in an independent fi lm. By opening ourselves up to every
humble opportunity, we struck a gold mine of opportunities
when our projects blew up at one of the biggest film
festivals in the world. But our success wasn’t happenstance;
as you will see through the pages of this book, we had been
moving toward these achievements for years; we had been
directing our own lives.

The two of us met at that 2004 Sundance Film Festival
while having a blast at all of the parties, screenings, and events.
Though we were very different people from completely different
backgrounds, we had a lot in common: We were each
enjoying the fruits of our hard work and our willingness to be
a part of something special.

One of the most important things we have done with our
experience was to share our secrets for success with students
on high school and college campuses across the country. By
talking with these students, it became clear to us that many
young people have no faith in their ability to achieve their
dreams. Whether they have been discouraged by their families,
dissuaded by their friends, or disillusioned by their teachers,
most people think that being able to direct their own lives
is just a fantasy. Many believe that real life means working
9 to 5. As we listened to these students, we discovered some
key points about achieving dreams that anyone can learn and
integrate into his or her life. As these principles became clearer,
we decided to share them with others through this book.

We want you, our reader, to learn that life isn’t lived within
the confi nes of a career; rather, living a successful life means
embracing the limitless world of opportunities and allowing
yourself to explore any endeavor.
This is what it means to direct your own life: Dream big,
work hard, and be open to opportunities. Don’t wait for
someone to present an opportunity to you—be the director,
screenwriter, and producer of your own choices, decisions,
and direction.

Directing your own life is not just a fantasy. You can make
a life out of your dreams. If you are unsure what you want to
do with your life or you don’t know how to accomplish your
dream, Direct Your Own Life is for you.
Direct Your Own Life is a collection of battle stories, advice,
and hands-on steps you can take to overcome your fears of
failure, find direction, and accomplish your dreams. We’ve
shared stories from our own lives and experience and presented
some stories from other young people who are living
their dreams.

In the pages of Direct Your Own Life, you’ll discover that
living a successful life means embracing the limitless world of
opportunities and allowing yourself to dream. The only way
you can give back to the world is to make yourself happy first.
We can’t wait to see what dreams you come up with—and to
see you achieve those dreams. If two regular guys like us can
do it, you can, too.